Villagers warned to carry garlic to ward off local vampire

Infamous for drinking the blood of peasants 400-years-ago, legendary vampire Sava Savanovic is now terrorising local residents in the small Serbian village of Zorazje that believe he may be on the prowl since his former home collapsed.

The Mayor of Zorazje, Miodrag Vujetic, has admitted that the local council has advised villagers to stock up on garlic and wooden crosses to ward off the local vampire, the Daily Mail reported.

While the village has been happy to cash in on the tourist potential associated with their very own vampire, sentiments have begun to change since Savanovic's home, an old water-mill, collapsed. Locals are worried the vampire could be on the loose, looking for a new place to lay his coffin.

Villagers, now aptly armed with strings of garlic and wooden stakes as a precaution, claim to have heard strange sounds from the area where Savanovi was reputedly killed with a stake through his heart. The NY Daily News reported garlic laden villager Mico Matic said: "One should always remain calm, it's important not to frighten him, you shouldn't make fun of him. He is just one of the neighbors, you do your best to be on friendly terms with him."

Zorazje remains committed to the notion of profiting from the vampire by using the legend as a tourist draw. He said: "If Romanians could profit on the Dracula legend with the tourists visiting Transylvania, why can't we do the same with Sava?"